Tonight's
review is of a 2010 Cielo Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie from Italy. We
picked this one up for $8.00/bottle at The Grapevine in Warrenton,
Virginia. I was looking for a wine that would stand up on its own as
well as one that we could have with fish, chicken or something similar.
Can't say I uncorked this one as it has the screw top that we're seeing
on more and more wines. Very light gold in color on the nose this one
showed hints of apricot and grass. Once I poured and allowed it to warm
up just a little I tasted more of the apricot and other citrus, maybe
lime, with a little hint of spice. Nice and crisp wine, a little dry but
not too much, and a nice, easy finish. I ended up drinking this with a
baked potato with just a touch of butter and a smattering of sharp
cheddar cheese and it went together wonderfully. I originally gave this
one 3 Corkscrews but after further consideration bumped it up to 4
Corkscrews due to its' great price and excellent flavor/acidity
combination. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine!

As
a print and e-newsletter subscriber to Virginia Wine Lover Magazine I
get a monthly edition mailed to the house as well as a newsletter that
hits my inbox on occasion. This latest edition had a link to hosting a Virginia Wine Tasting Party
along with a variety of forms that can be used in planning and hosting
the party. A great idea that could be used with Virginia wines as well
as any other regions you might want to include. #1 and I attended a wine
tasting party several years ago and it was a blast. Come to think of it
we really need to have another one at our house soon. Check it out and
let me know if you have a party. I'd be glad to pass on what you and
your guests discover. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine!

Now
that I'm active again I wanted to mention that October is Virginia Wine
Month. It's an annual promotion that highlights the many vineyards in
our state as well as restaurants and retail stores that sell and promote
those wines. There are almost 200 wineries and 22 wine trails in the
Commonwealth of Virginia to explore. I plan on visiting several of those
wineries and posting about them in the coming weeks. We've actually got
some really good wines being made in Virginia and hopefully I can bring
some of those to your attention. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Try
Virginia Wines!

Just a short post but I came across a site that ranks wine blogs based
on a variety of criteria such as valuation, Google PageRank and monthly
traffic. 365corks came in at #175 which was surprising based on the
neglect I've given to the site over the last year. That's all changed as
I plan on devoting as much time as I did when I first started and hope
to break into the Top 50 next year. If you'd like to take a look for
yourself check out Cellarer.com . Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine!

We
had this wine, a 2010 24 Rivers Chardonnay from South Africa, to serve
at our party last night. This wine came out before the Barco and it's a
good thing. I might have given up drinking wine altogether if I'd
started with the Barco. An affordable wine, picked this one up for about
$8.00, it was worth the price and a good find. On the nose a little oak
and peach was exhibited. Once on the palate more of the toasty oak was
noted and more of the peach with a little vanilla thrown in. Smooth
finish made for an enjoyable glass of wine. I gave it 3 corkscrews for
overall drinkability. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine.

Had
a get together at the house last night and this was one of the wines we
had bought to try out. The 2010 Barco Viejo Chardonnay from Chile can
be picked up for around $6 - 7 per bottle. Way too sweet and not a wine I
will ever have in the house again. I had two glasses of it, I was
hoping the second would be better than the first, wrong, and had a
pseudo hangover that called back to memory a time when I had three
glasses of Yellowtail and felt like a zombie the following day. There's
just nothing I can say about this wine other than to steer clear of it. I
gave it 1 corkscrew which, if you know my rating system, means head for
the nearest sink with this and make sure it doesn't come in contact
with a wine glass. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine (just
not this one)!

After much deliberation I came to the
conclusion that 365corks.com needed a new look. Well, this is the look I
decided on. I think it's much easier to read, the photographs "pop" off
the page much better, and I've got more room to write and add other
items of interest. Let me know what you think.

As promised my review of the Qupe' Wine Dinner at The Ashby Inn,
Paris, Virginia, continues. The third course of the night was a bite
sized pasta filled with macadamia nut butter in a butternut squash broth
with ginger and marigold. A very rich dish and the macadamia nut butter
was an unusual, but tasty, filling. Not a real big portion but more a
tapas style of portion. This course was accompanied by two releases of
the "Bien Nacido Hillside Estate" Roussanne, the 2003 and the 2008.

Qupe' Roussanne 2003

The
2003 Roussanne, compared side-by-side to the 2008, did not have the
same vibrant nose nor was its color as deep as the 2008. I picked up
hints of citrus on the nose but wasn't able to pick up much of anything
else. Smelled very thin if you can image that. On the palate I noted
hints of citrus and maybe a little honeysuckle. Not a bad wine by any
means just much more subtle than the 08. As I like more of an "In Your
Face" type of white wine, this one received 3 corkscrews due to its
subtleness. Don't know if you can still find this but the 2007 goes for
$40 per bottle if that gives you an idea of how pricey it is.

Qupe' Roussanne 2008

The
2008 Roussanne was my favorite of the two. Bright yellow in color, the
bouquet was big and bold with scents of mango, peach and other tropical
fruit aromas. On the palate this wine did not disappoint. Loads of
flavor, lushness and a finish that was borderline perfect! I liked the
way this wine kind of clings to the palate. This would have received 5
corkscrews but only received four due to an average bottle price of
around $30. Highly recommend for any special occasion or when you just
want to splurge on a nice bottle of wine.

The
fourth course was a sliced duck breast in cherry jus with assorted
grains and oregano. Now I love a rare piece of meat and it is so easy to
overcook a duck breast that I understand the need to serve it on the
rare side. However, I'm afraid this course of duck breast was too rare.
Still very tasty but when my plate came out the blood from the duck
breast had run all over the plate and made for a less than desirable
presentation. I would have thought that the chef or server would have
taken the time to clean up the plate before presenting it, but
unfortunately it wasn't so. This was the only course of the five that I
didn't love the presentation. This course was served with the 2008 Qupe'
"Sawyer-Linquist Vineyard" Grenache.

Qupe' Grenache 2008

The
2008 Sawyer-Linquist Grenache was brought to the table and served with
the aforementioned duck breast. Now in full disclosure I have to admit
that I hardly ever, and I mean ever, drink Grenache. I much prefer a
Pinot Noir or something more full bodied than most Grenache. That being
said I'll continue with my review. Once the Grenache was poured I noted
that it was a light ruby red and not as full bodied looking as I like
in a red wine. On the nose I picked up blackberry and raspberry tones
with a little spice, maybe pepper? As I swirled the first mouthful I
tasted more of a strawberry tone mixed with just a slight touch of oak.
The finish was slightly tannin. I gave this one 3 corkscrews as it just
didn't have the full bodied flavor that I like, to be totally honest. If
you like a red that is a little less full bodied, this might be the
wine for you. As it retails for about $35/bottle I probably won't be
drinking it anytime in the near future.

The
fifth, and final, course was a slow cooked lamb shank with melted
eggplant, a cardamom yogurt with black olive puree.First off another
disclosure. I hate black olives and any hint of black olives! There, I
said it. The lamb shank, on its own, was nicely prepared and melted in
the mouth. Melted eggplant I didn't really get and didn't think it added
very much to the dish. Anything that came in contact with the black
olives I automatically took a pass on. Did I mention that I really don't
like black olives? This course was presented well, I can say that. The
final two glasses of Qupe' were the "Bien Nacida Hillside Estate" Syrah
vintages 2001 and 2006.

Qupe' Bien Nacida Hillside Estate Syrah 2001

The
2001 Syrah arrived at our table and exhibited a dark, ruby red color.
After swirling I picked up hints of raspberry and chocolate on the nose.
On the palate very little to note other than a little bitterness and a
little more tannin than I prefer. Hate to say it but it seemed a little
plain and pedestrian to me. I gave it 2 corkscrews because it wasn't
terrible it just wasn't memorable.Saw this one on sale on one of the internet wine sites for $26/bottle. Overpriced.

Qupe' Bien Nacida Hillside Estate Syrah 2006

The 2006 Syrahwas
a little better than the 01. This one had a nice, fruit forward nose
with a little hint of allspice. On the palate a somewhat one dimensional
wine with mostly blueberry and a hint of oak noted. Not much to say
about the finish. This one gets 2 corkscrews as well. This one retails
from $30-40/bottle. Overpriced!

The evening was topped off with
some "mignardises" which are basically some tiny one-bites masquerading
as desserts. One was a little macaroon type of chocolate deal that
wasn't too bad while the other was a coffee infused marshmallow type of
thing that didn't do a whole lot for me. None the less it was a nice
evening in a quaint setting with some great friends who just happen to
also be our neighbors. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine!

After a long lay off from the old wine site here, I'm coming back with a
vengeance. Last night #1 and I had the opportunity to attend a wine
dinner at The Ashby Inn in
beautiful Paris,Virginia. Now we've never stayed at this lovely little B
& B but friends of ours have and just rave about it, and the
setting and grounds are exquisite. This wine dinner featured the wines
of the Qupe' vineyard located in California's Central Coast. To be
honest with you I wasn't familiar with this vineyard and their wines but
I'm glad I've discovered them. They are definitely not in the under $10
category but more of a special occasion wine with the majority of them
in the $17 - $55 range and topping out at $100 for one of their Syrah's.
If you're ever in the Washington, D.C. area it is well worth the trip
west, about 40 miles or so, to have a meal in this quaint inn and
experience the peacefulness of the surrounding countryside. Now more
about the dinner and the wines that accompanied each course:

Bien Nacido Cuvee Viognier-Chardonnay

This 2009 vintage Viognier-Chardonnay mix was served with a variety of
different finger food items that included a unique prosciutto wrapped
pretzel stick with a spicy type mustard inside. Very different and
tasty. This wine had a very nice nose with lots of floral and fruit
picked up. Reminded me of a fruit orchard at harvest time. No oak picked
up on the nose at all although I'm told this is aged in old oak
barrels. A 50/50 mix of chardonnay and viognier the acidity was nicely
balanced on the palate. This wine could easily be enjoyed by itself but
was a great accompaniment to the first course. I gave this wine four
corkscrews due to its excellent nose and burst of flavor on the tongue.
This retails for around $20 so not a wine I would probably drink on a
daily basis or even weekly basis.

Marsanne

The 2010 version of the Qupe Marsanne was served with a delightful dish
that consisted of chilled shrimp very lightly poached, that had sorrel
and saffron onion petals along with crispy heads. What are crispy heads
you ask? They are actually the head of the shrimp fried to a crispiness
that turns them into something akin to a potato chip. Now I've eaten and
prepared a lot of shrimp over the years but the heads always ended up
in the garbage can. I hesitated momentarily as I decided whether this
was meant to be eaten or just a garnishment. Having learned that it was
meant to be eaten, I dug in. To my surprise it was actually quite tasty.
So much so that I ate the second one on my plate and the two on my
neighbor's plate as she passed on trying them. A nice dish all the way
around. The Marsanne exhibited notes of citrus, hazelnut, butter and a
little peach on the nose. On the palate I picked up more of the peach
that I had picked up on the nose as well as a little more nuttiness. A
good pairing with the shrimp dish although not my favorite of the night.
Not that it was bad just not quite as tasty as the Viognier-Chardonnay
that we'd had with the first course. This also retails in the $20 per
bottle range so another one that I wouldn't drink on a regular basis. I
really need to open a wine shop so I can start buying at wholesale!
Stay tuned for the rest of my review of this five course wine dinner in the coming days.
Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine!